As Close As I'll Ever Get to Being an Astronaut

There's about a 110% chance that most of us will never become an astronaut. So I always cherish those situations that get me a little closer to realizing this impossible dream. And a window seat on a jet aircraft is fine with me! I don't need astronaut training and I still get to see Planet Earth and its atmospheric partner from above.

It's pretty amazing to be looking down from 4 to 8 miles (20,000 to 40,000 feet) high. Those automobile packed highways really do look like ant trails. Coastlines really do look just like they are drawn on maps. And, at night, the urban patterning clearly shows population centers large and small.

Meandering rivers with their sand or soil deposit regions, coastal inlet patterns showing ocean currents and erosion / deposition regions and mountain regions with snow-covered peaks and talus slopes abound.

I've now mastered the art of cloud watching from flight altitude. And I am amazed that regardless of what clouds look like from the outside, they are all "foggy" inside. Flying next to monstrous thunderstorm clouds or even nearby these sometimes lonesome-looking giants can humble almost anyone.

Experience has shown me that it is best to get a window seat on the side of the plane away from the sun. This keeps you cooler, eliminates glare and, in general, allows for better photographic opportunities.

Beware, however, your seat choice. On some aircraft there can be unusual arrangements of windows and seats or window views can be blocked. For example, on some 737 aircraft, row 22 has a wall, not a window. On the MD-88, the last 3 rows of the cabin sit adjacent to the plane's fuselage-mounted engines. On any aircraft, seats over and just behind the wings can either be blocked by the wing or have interference from jet engine exhaust.

Smudge-free windows are needed for the best observing and photographing. I keep a clean tissue with me (or I use a napkin from cabin service) to clean any spots from the inside window. On some windows, however, the special UV protection film has been damaged, leaving splotches. On others, scratches are all too evident.

Since reflection is an issue, even without direct sunlight, I try to wear dark colored clothes without any patterns. And I always keep the tray table locked and stowed to minimize reflection.

Just watching can be fun. But I love to photograph what I see. I once captured an image of a jet exhaust (condensation trail or CONTRAIL) slicing across a glory (the colorful circular pattern sometimes seen on lower-level clouds). I've even seen rainbows, halos, and clouds resembling fish (flying fish, of course).

I also have photographs showing waves approaching coastlines, coastal ocean currents with different colored water, and my favorite, fields of irrigation circles. These circles occasionally dot southeast locales, but from west Texas northward and west to Arizona, these mark places where ground water is used to support irrigation. Sometimes they are green (active growth) and sometimes brown. Some, due to land use limitations or other factors, resemble the Pac-Man pie-shaped character of early computer game fame.

So, if you haven't tried cloud and earth watching from flight altitude before, hopefully you will. It's a great way to enjoy the planetary view and it sure helps time "fly by."

Matt is a nature enthusiast. He has been writing about nature for several years. A new project Matt is involved in is this website: Boston Whaler Boats. It is an information site that covers several boating subjects including Boston Whaler Accessories. Matt loves these boats and is an avid outdoors man.

By Matt Burkhart